NATPE 2013 starts Monday, so we thought we’d share with you, our dear readers, some information on the new syndicated series being offered this year — both off-net and first-run. For the first time in years, all major studios will have suites at NATPE, many with new syndicated series ready to sell.
From 20th Century Fox comes off-net offerings Modern Family (fall 2013), Raising Hope (2014), New Girl (2015) and COPS Reloaded.
Warner Bros. is bringing first-run talk show Bethenny (already cleared in 97 percent of the country) to NATPE, in addition to off-nets Mike & Molly (2014) and 2 Broke Girls (2015).
CBS Television Distribution is bringing two first-run talk shows for fall 2013 — The Arsenio Hall Show and The Test, a conflict resolution-style talker. The off-net show they’re introducing is Hot in Cleveland (fall 2014).
Disney-ABC Domestic Television’s got first-run series On the Red Carpet, a weekly entertainment news show that highlights the best of the week in the world of celebrity and style (it currently airs on eight ABC stations but is being offered for a wider debut in fall 2013).
And, finally, Sony has The Queen Latifah Show as a first-run for fall 2013.
All of the studios — including NBC Universal, which was left off the list above because the studio isn’t bringing any new syndicated series to Miami — are exhibiting in suites.
While the business of NATPE has continued to shift away from syndication — and many of the syndicated shows mentioned above have been sold throughout the country well before NATPE — we asked studio executives to tell us why they still attend the Miami event (and have come back en masse this year).
One studio representative who asked to remain anonymous admitted that NATPE is, in fact, not as important as it once was, but said the studio hopes for growth on that front.
Others seemed to think the importance of NATPE lies in the fact that it’s an opportunity to meet with people face-to-face and to open up dialogues with TV industry colleagues.
“NATPE is still an important part of our business as the show remains an open forum for those in the industry,” said Paul Franklin, evp and general sales manager at Twentieth Television. “Whether from a studio, distributor, production company, cable network or local station, it is a great opportunity to come together to discuss and decide the future of the television landscape.”
He continued: “Speaking for Twentieth – and I think many others at NATPE — the recent shift to Miami has been great, contributing to a real rejuvenation of the convention.”
The fact that COPS creator John Langley and Modern Family executive producer Steve Levitan are both receiving Tartikoff Awards makes the event even more special for the studio, especially considering that they’re offering both Modern Family and the rejuvenated COPS Reloaded for syndication at this year’s market.
“NATPE is still a very important part of our business, both from a relationship and selling point of view,” said Joe DiSalvo, president of Sales for CBS Television Distribution. “It is the one convention where we get a chance to meet all of our clients face to face and talk about how our shows are working, renewing our shows out a few more years and also what they would like to see us do in the future. It is still a very productive convention, and since this business is a face to face business, it’s always very important to see all of our buyers in Miami.”
In terms of his company’s goals for NATPE, DiSalvo said priorities lie in promoting Arsenio and The Test, and working on renewals for their long-running hits.
